Aftermath
by aiRis
Summary: Kinda takes place right after Exodus.. where the issues are dealt with.. Will Clark become good or eviL?
1. Realization

Chapter 1 - Realization  
  
A/N - this is the first time I'm actually writing a fanfic, so it probably sucks big time. Please r/r and let me know what you think of it. And how I can write better. Thanks.. So here goes!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Your actions have consequences.. Your actions have consequences.." His father's words had been replaying over and over in his mind. What had he done? He never meant to hurt anyone. But it didn't matter. The fact was that he did. His mother lost the baby. He had caused it. All he seemed to do was to complicate the lives of his loved ones. Never before had he felt so tormented. He had to leave; he didn't want to hurt Lana too. He would never be able to forgive himself if he did.  
  
But after he slipped on the ring, all the pain and misery went away. He felt refreshed.  
  
Now, as he sped towards his destiny awaiting him, Kal-El couldn't help but laugh mockingly at the Clark Kent inside of him. How foolish he had been, slipping on the ring. Now there was no turning back. Kal-El was on his way to fulfilling his destiny, and nobody would be able to stop him.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lana watched the dust settle, stunned. Clark had deserted her, saying he had to leave as he didn't want to hurt anybody else. But he just did. Her heart was shattered into a million pieces. Yet another person she loved had left her. Everything just seemed all too familiar for her liking. Her knees sank onto the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
There was not much time left. He had to think on his feet. Fortunately, he excelled in that particular aspect. Lex searched around and grabbed a life jacket, knowing that this time Clark would not be here to save the day. The day at the bridge seemed like a walk in the park compared to what he was about to face. Any sane person would have agreed that Lex could just kiss his life goodbye. But the Luthors were known as survivors. He was brought up a Luthor for a reason. Giving up wasn't in his vocabulary.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The skyscrapers of Metropolis loomed ahead.  
  
"Finally." Kal-El was sick of Jor-El's voice constantly in his head. He needed to get some rest.  
  
"Now I'm gonna show the world what I'm made of." Kal-El smiled victoriously.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Martha instantly felt something wrong when they pulled up in front of the house. "Jonathan, this place suddenly feels so empty." During the course of the night, Jonathan had told Martha what had happened, and how he had treated Clark. She had instantly demanded that he apologize to Clark, he was their son after all.  
  
"Clark? Son.." Jonathan's voice trailed off. The house was empty. Clark was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Jonathan? What's wrong? There's nobody at home. Clark.. Where is he?" Martha inquired.  
  
"I.." Jonathan was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Lana! Come in. Erm.. Have you seen Clark?" Lana's eyes were bloodshot, having cried herself to sleep the night before, and Jonathan could sense that all was not right.  
  
"Yeah, uh. That's what I came here to talk about. Clark, he uh," Lana could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "He left."  
  
Jonathan glared at Lana. Martha leaned against the cupboard in shock. "What do you mean?"  
  
"He, uh.. He said something about not wanting to uh, hurt anyone else and that no one could - I'm so sorry Mr. Kent! I tried to stop him.. But he, he.." Lana collapsed in tears. By this time Martha was already dazed. Jonathan pulled both of them into his arms.  
  
"It's ok sweetheart. We'll find him. We'll sort this out, just like we have all the other times." However, his words din't even seem to convince himself. Deep in his heart, he just wished he had never looked at his son the way he had at the hospital.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"It's done. The plan worked. He's probably on the ocean floor now."  
  
"That was quick. And I thought he would have been smarter. Seems like love does blind people. You have done an admirable job Dr. Bryce. It's been a pleasure working with you."  
  
"Whatever." Helen turned and walked out of the office.  
  
"Lex, Lex.." Lionel Luthor smiled a wicked smile. "Seems like you've failed this test.."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N - please review so I know how you think of it! I know it's kinda sad and there's not much love and stuff, but don't worry. There'll be other chapters! I hope.. 


	2. Revelation

Chapter 2 - Revelation  
  
Lex struggled to stay afloat. It didn't help that his life jacket wasn't functioning properly. Dammit! Don't tell me I'm gonna die like that. He thought. Then he felt something metallic in his pocket. The compass Mr. Kent gave me! A glimmer of hope went through his eyes. Lex opened the compass, and he saw something strange. The compass needle wasn't pointing to the North as it should; instead, it was pointing South-West. Lex tried shaking the compass, but the needle stayed glued to that position. Not that I believe in superstitions, but maybe the compass is leading me to somewhere safe. He had to be optimistic. Even though it seemed an unlikely possibility, Lex swam furiously in the direction of the compass needle.  
  
After what seemed like hours, Lex saw it. A piece of land came into view, growing in size every second. I did it! I'm gonna survive! Lex had never been so relieved in his life. He swam to shore and laid flat on the sandy beach, which gave him time to think about his ordeal..  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"You shall stay here until you are ready to continue your quest, Kal-El." Jor-El's voice boomed.  
  
"How long will that take?" Kal-El asked impatiently.  
  
"Patience, son. When the time is right, you will be informed."  
  
Kal-El was a frustrated man. The Clark inside of him was struggling to break free, to regain control over his body, but no matter how close he came, the red kryptonite would overpower him. Although Clark could feel his presence becoming weaker as the days passed, he refused to give up hope; the only thing keeping him going was the thought of Lana and his parents waiting for him back at Smallville. He longed to see the face of his angel again, and the thought of her embrace fueled his rage to break free. Kal-El could sense the hatred, and even though he knew there was no way Clark could overpower him, it still worried him nevertheless.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lana sat in her bed crying. A week had past since Clark left. She had never been the same ever since. Every night she would lie in bed crying, replaying the thoughts of that dreadful day in her head. She knew that she should be angry with him for leaving her, but she couldn't bring herself to. Because she knew deep down inside how much he meant to her, how much she loved him. She would let out words like "I love you, Clark" and "Come back to me" once in awhile, and then end up breaking down.  
  
Days passed like years. Every day, Lana would go over to the Kent's residence to keep Martha company. Martha was a wreck ever since Clark left. It was bad enough that the baby was dead, and now her only son had left too. Together, they would sit staring at the gate, hoping that a certain tall, dark and handsome young man would come through those gates. Although they waited in vain, they never gave up hope. They knew someday he would come back and everything would be okay again.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After Chloe had heard what happened to Clark, she couldn't bring herself to be angry at him anymore. Even though she did not want to admit it, she still cared a lot for Clark, and seeing what he did to Lana, even though she hated for them to be together, she hoped that Clark would come back and mend that broken heart.  
  
"Way to go Sullivan. I can't believe your last words to him were 'have a nice life!' Not even a goodbye." Chloe muttered to herself as a streak of tear flowed down her cheek.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Pete had tried his best to aid the Kents in locating Clark. After profuse apologies for not stopping him, Pete agreed to do whatever he could to help find Clark. Clark was his best friend after all. It hurt him just as much as it hurt them to lose Clark.  
  
"What did Clark tell you he was going to do?" Jonathan asked Pete as the two of them and Martha sat in the living room.  
  
"He.. He said he had to destroy the spa.. spaceship, sir. He said th.. that was the only way he could stop that thing. I, I tried to tell him not to, sir, but he wouldn't listen. He also had this symbol burnt onto his chest. I'm so sorry sir."  
  
"Why didn't he tell us? He should have told us before blowing up the spaceship. It wo-"  
  
"What spaceship?"  
  
The three of them turned around, shell-shocked to see a puzzled Lana standing at the doorway.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N - how did that go? Please give me your feedback! I know it's quite crappy, and it's going kinda slow, but I'll try to speed things up as soon as possible. Clark will be back soon! 


	3. Reminisce

Chapter 3 - Reminisce  
  
"You heard everything?"  
  
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop uh, Mr. Kent. I was just curious." Lana tried her best to explain. Who wouldn't want to know more about something like this? It's a spaceship hello! She thought to herself. There was a moment of silence, as the three of them sat on the couch staring at Lana.  
  
"Seems like we need to talk to you then." Martha finally broke the silence.  
  
"Martha! We can't ju-"  
  
"Can't what Jonathan? She's Clark's girlfriend! She has the right to know! And besides, there wasn't a day that he didn't want to tell her!" Martha just snapped. Jonathan could be really stubborn at times.  
  
"But it's for the safety of our son. Alright, fine. Only if she promises to keep her lips sealed."  
  
"I promise." Lana didn't need to be asked. She was dying to know Clark's secret. What was so important that they had to hide it from her till now? Was it something bad? What could be so bad? All these questions in her head were about to be answered.  
  
"Come sit here Lana." Martha motioned for Lana to sit next to her. "You see, Clark.."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Damn! How could I have been so blind? I should have known it right from the start! Lex cursed himself for his stupidity. He spent time on the sand reflecting on the happenings, and finally everything came to light. It was Helen all the while! I knew she wouldn't have just come back without an ulterior motive. And to think I was blinded by love. Now everything makes sense. It was her way of getting back at me. Spiking my drink, crashing the plane. No wonder she looked uncertain on the plane. Damn! I should have known something was wrong!  
  
Lex shook his head, a smile slowly forming on his face. You underestimated the strength of a Luthor..  
  
"I'm not letting you get away with this.."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Now that you know Clark's secret. You have to promise never to tell anyone. I know it's a big responsibility that you shouldn't have to carry. But people are willing to kill to know Clark's secret. I hope you know the seriousness of this issue." Jonathan issued a stern warning.  
  
"Yes Mr. Kent. I know. I promise not to breathe a word."  
  
Lana could not believe her ears. The Kents and Pete had just revealed Clark's secret to her. Yes. The Secret. How he isn't human, how he came to the earth in the meteor shower that killed her parents, how he has superhuman abilities, and how that he was still Clark Kent no matter where he was from and that nothing would change. But could she really believe them? After all this time, the countless times he had lied to her, they had lied to her, could she forgive them, and believe that nothing was going to change?  
  
"Lana, please. You have to believe us. Clark is just like anyone of us. All that is different is that he isn't human. But he was brought up a human. He would never do anything to hurt you." Pete almost sounded as if he was pleading with her.  
  
"I know he wouldn't, but I, uh. I'm sorry but I have to go. Um, I need time to process this. Bye."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Lana didn't know what to think, what to do. There was just too much to bear. She had wanted to know Clark's secret for such a long time, but now that she finally knew it, she began wondering whether it would have been better had it been kept a secret. He was an alien! They couldn't expect her to just accept the fact there and then. She suddenly felt as if she totally didn't know Clark Kent at all. All these years, everything was all a lie. Then she started thinking back on the times that they had spent together..  
  
She remembered the first time she had met him. It was a few weeks after the Kents had adopted him. Nell had gone over to the Kent residence to pay a visit, and brought Lana along. She saw the cute boy hiding behind his mum, too shy to look Lana in the eye, but occasionally taking peeks at her. They then went over to Nell's house, where Clark started playing dolls with Lana. They became good friends ever since then.  
  
Lana couldn't help but smile as she recalled the childhood years. How much both of them had grown. How cute he was, not that he wasn't cute now. She couldn't believe that all this time she had been playing with an alien!  
  
As they grew up, the two of them got further apart, preoccupied with their own lives. It wasn't until they went to Smallville High where they started becoming close again. Even though he had disappointed her on several occasions, Clark had always been there for her when she needed him most. He was always there to lend a helping hand, there to comfort her. Not to mention all the times that he had rescued her when she was in danger. Now she knew how he was able to do it.  
  
Then came the day of the twisters. Just when she thought that her life was going to end, Clark was there yet again to protect her, and make sure that everything was alright. It was from then that she had begun suspecting Clark. But she was grateful nonetheless, if he hadn't been there, she wouldn't be living right now.  
  
It wasn't until recently that they declared their feelings for each other. She remembered it like yesterday. How happy she felt, how comfortable she was with him, how perfectly their hands fit together, how his embrace could take away all the pain, and most importantly, how his kiss left her with nothing else to wish for.  
  
At this point, tears began to form in Lana's eyes. She missed Clark terribly. She wanted him to hug away all the pain and kiss away all the tears. And then, she found the answer she was looking for.  
  
"I love him." She whispered to herself. "He might be from Mars, Jupiter or Pluto, but he is still Clark Kent. I love Clark Kent."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"What's wrong Jonathan? You still worried that Lana might reveal Clark's secret?"  
  
"No, no. It's the news. Come take a look. It, it's Lex. They found his plane buried under the ocean. But they couldn't find any bodies.."  
  
"Oh my gosh! This is, this is just too much to take in.." Martha gasped.  
  
"Sweetheart, calm down. The police have sent out a search party. I'm sure they'll find Lex. There are many islands around that region. I'm sure he's fine. Don't worry. You should get some rest." Jonathan said as he helped Martha onto the couch. "Are you gonna be okay?"  
  
"Yeah." Martha answered with a dazed look on her face.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Kal-El. It is almost time. The human in you is getting weaker. When he is dead we shall continue with our journey."  
  
"Very well. It's about time anyway." Kal-El sneered. He was tired of waiting. Why wouldn't Clark Kent just give up. He had no chance against the red kryptonite anyway.  
  
Never! I'll never give up. Clark could feel his presence being drained out inch by inch from his body. But he wasn't going to give up. Not on Lana. They were meant to be together. He knew it. He had to do this. And for Lana he would.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N - Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming! 


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